How Britain’s Wind Boom Has Slashed Energy Bills

The United Kingdom has rapidly developed its wind energy sector over the last two decades to become one of the biggest wind power producers worldwide. As the government aims to accelerate the green transition through greater investment in renewable energies and upgrading the national grid, the U.K.’s wind sector is expected to continue growing substantially in the coming decades. Meanwhile, recent studies suggest that the deployment of more wind power has helped significantly reduce consumer energy bills.

There is approximately 15.7 GW of operational onshore wind power in the U.K., with an increase of 739 MW in 2024 through the development of projects such as the Viking (443MW), Kype Muir Extension (67.2MW), and Broken Cross (43.2MW) windfarms. In 2024, 77 onshore wind projects submitted for planning permission, a slight reduction from the 83 submissions in 2023, but far higher than the 44 submissions in 2022.

The U.K. is expected to achieve 26 GW of onshore wind by 2030, which is 3.1 GW below the target established in the U.K. Government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan (CP30), according to a forecasting model by EnergyPulse. The wind industry also employs around 55,000 people, a figure that is set to double to around 110,000 by the end of the decade.

The U.K. has an operational offshore wind capacity of around 14.7 GW. Construction is currently underway on six projects with a total capacity of 6.3 GW, and three of these projects have a generating capacity of 2.5 GW, with development expected to be completed in 2025. Two more (2.5GW) operators will commence offshore construction this year. There were 14 planning applications for offshore wind projects submitted in 2024, with a total capacity of 15.4 GW, making for a total offshore wind capacity pipeline of 22.85 GW. The U.K.’s offshore wind capacity is expected to reach 41.5 GW by the end of 2030, including 1.2 GW of floating wind capacity.

Wind energy was the U.K.’s largest source of electricity generation in the final quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, making it the longest stretch of time on record where renewable energy contributed more power generation than that of fossil fuels. In Q1 of 2024, wind energy generation totalled 25.3 terawatt hours (TWh), compared to 23.6 TWh from all fossil fuel sources. Wind power contributed an average of 39.4 percent of total electricity production in this period. This marked a major turning point for the U.K., which has long relied on fossil fuels for power.

In addition to helping the U.K. to achieve a green transition, it seems that wind power is also saving consumers billions, according to a recent study. An analysis from University College London (UCL) found that between 2010 and 2023, wind-generated energy decreased electricity bills by $18.7 billion and reduced the cost of natural gas by $175 billion. When green subsidies of $56.8 billion paid by consumers are factored in, it results in a total reduction of $137 billion in U.K. consumer energy bills over 13 years.

The rapid development of renewable energy capacity across Europe has spurred a decrease in the demand for gas, thereby driving down gas prices. This has meant that electricity companies have not needed to construct expensive new gas-fired power stations to meet the rising demand, thereby saving consumers money. The report assessed the period from 2010 to 2023, meaning that the rising gas prices resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war were not taken into account.

“Far from being a financial burden, this study demonstrates how wind generation has consistently delivered substantial financial benefits to the UK. To put it into context, this net benefit of £104 billion ($137 billion) is larger than the additional £90 billion ($118 billion) the U.K. has spent on gas since 2021 as a result of rising prices related to the war in Ukraine,” explained the lead author of the report, Colm O’Shea. “This study demonstrates why we should reframe our understanding of green investment from costly environmental subsidy to a high-return national investment.”

The operators of gas-fired power stations are relied upon for setting the price of electricity in the U.K. However, the shift in the country’s energy mix and the savings discussed in the report could encourage a new approach to energy pricing. Mark Maslin, a professor of Earth system science at UCL, stressed the need to “decouple gas and electricity prices” to reflect the international energy market. “That would mean gas prices would reflect the global markets, while the electricity price would reflect the savings from wind and solar,” explained Maslin.

The heavy investment in the U.K.’s wind sector over the last 25 years seems to have paid off, as it is supporting the government’s green transition aims as well as reducing the cost of consumer energy bills. The country’s wind energy capacity is set to continue growing rapidly over the coming decade and could ultimately change the way energy prices are set as the U.K. welcomes a more diverse energy mix.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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